Thermal Expansion Full PDF

PDF Notes on thermal expansion

In this chapter, we will learn about the concept of thermal expansion and its applications in various fields. Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change its shape, area, volume, and density in response to a change in temperature.

There are three types of thermal expansion:

-linear expansion,

-surface/area expansion,

-volume expansion.

Linear expansion refers to the change in the length of a one-dimensional object, such as a rod or a wire.

Area expansion refers to the change in the area of a two-dimensional object, such as a sheet or a membrane.

Volume expansion refers to the change in volume of a three-dimensional object, such as a solid or a liquid.

The amount of thermal expansion depends on several factors, such as the material, the initial dimensions, the temperature change, and the coefficient of thermal expansion. The coefficient of thermal expansion is a constant that describes how much a material expands or contracts per unit temperature change. Different materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion, which means they expand or contract at different rates when heated or cooled.

Some examples of thermal expansion are:

– The gaps between railway tracks are necessary to prevent them from buckling due to thermal expansion in hot weather.
– The mercury in a thermometer rises when it is placed in a hot substance because mercury has a high coefficient of thermal expansion and expands more than the glass tube.
– The metal lid of a glass jar can be loosened by running it under hot water because the metal expands more than the glass and becomes larger than the jar opening.

Thermal expansion has many applications in engineering, science, and everyday life. For instance, thermal expansion can be used to measure temperature, create bimetallic strips for thermostats, design bridges and buildings that can withstand temperature changes, and generate electricity from heat sources.

In this chapter, we will explore the mathematical formulas and calculations related to thermal expansion, as well as some problems and exercises to test our understanding.